"GL1" - читать интересную книгу автора (vol06)

favourite drinks and nips of their favourite sweetmeats): their
former fears were forgotten. They were prepared to listen to
anything, and to cheer at every full stop. But they were not
prepared to be startled. Yet startled they certainly were: indeed,
completely blowed: some even got indigestion.
My dear people, began Mr Baggins, rising in his place.
'Hear, hear, hear! ' they answered in chorus, and seemed reluc-
tant to follow their own advice. Meanwhile Bilbo left his place and
went and stood on a chair under the illuminated tree. The lantern
light fell upon his beaming face; the gold buttons shone on his
flowered waistcoat. They could all see him. One hand was in his
pocket. He raised the other.
My dear Bagginses! he began again. And my dear Tooks and
Brandybucks and Crubbs and Chubbs and Burroweses and
Bracegirdles and Boffises and Proudfoots.
'Proudfeet!' shouted an elderly hobbit from the back. His
name, of course, was Proudfoot, and merited: his feet were large,
exceptionally furry, and both were on the table.
Also my good Sackville-Bagginses that I welcome back at last to
Bag-end. Today is my seventy-first birthday!
'Hurray, hurray! Many Happy Returns! ' they shouted, and
they hammered joyously on the tables. Bilbo was doing splendidly.
That was the sort of stuff they liked: short, obvious, uncontro-
versial.

I hope you are all enjoying yourselves as much as I am.
Deafening cheers. Cries of Yes (and No). Noises of horns and
trumpets, pipes and flutes, and other musical instruments. There
were many junior hobbits present, for hobbits were easygoing
with their children in the matter of sitting up late - especially if
there was a chance of getting them an extra meal free (bringing up
young hobbits took a great deal of provender). Hundreds of
musical crackers had been pulled. Most of them bore the mark
Dale on them somewhere or other, inside or out. What that meant
only Bilbo and a few of his close friends knew (and you of course);
but they were very marvellous crackers. They contained instru-
ments small but of perfect make and enchanting tone. Indeed in
one corner some of the younger Tooks and Brandybucks, sup-
posing Bilbo to have finished his speech (having said all that was
needed), now got up an impromptu orchestra, and began a merry
dance tune. Young Prospero Brandybuck (7) and Melba Took got on
a table and started to dance the flip-flap, a pretty thing if rather
vigorous. But Bilbo had not finished.
Seizing a horn from one of the children he blew three very loud
notes. The noise subsided. I shall not keep you long, he cried.
Cheering broke out again. BUT I have called you all together for a
Purpose.
Something in his voice made a few of the Tooks prick up their
ears. Indeed for three Purposes. First of all, to tell you that I am
immensely fond of you all; and that seventy-one years is too short a